Examples are piling up every week about the stealth of drug- and device-makers and the laziness of the news media in keeping important safety and pricing information from the consumer.
Today, the Wall Street Journal, in a blockbuster Page One report, examines our good friend the aspirin and how drug companies have enlisted prominent scientists and journals to argue that this virtually cost-free pill may not work as well for preventing heart disease as we all assumed. Instead, they suggest, costlier drugs and devices may be the answer.
It is entirely possible that the researchers paid by the drug and device manufacturers are correct about the very small increased risk of aspirin in some patients, but it would be a lot easier to determine their credence and what course of action is best for the patient if they were upfront about who is paying for their opinions.
It would also be a lot easier and cheaper to prevent heart disease by eating better and eating less.